Contributing toward the cultural development of a community means guaranteeing that its customs and collective identity are perpetuated for future generations.

When it arrives to a region, the Odebrecht Organization is not only thinking about its projects and developments. The companies also develop actions designed to meet the cultural demands and disseminate the artistic practices of the local population.

Investing in initiatives, projects and cultural sponsorship actions, Odebrecht promotes society's cultural evolution through practices that foster the preservation and propagation of memory.

However, this incentive toward culture does not stop at the communities. All of the cultural diversity of these populations is also a part of the Organization itself. People of different origins, ethnicities, traditions and beliefs are a part of the companies and the Odebrecht work environments in Brazil and abroad.

Learn more about the Organization’s cultural indicators in the 2012 Annual Report.

Culture of Sponsorship at Odebrecht

In 1959, the Organization began to invest in initiatives to recover artistic values and promote the preservation of historical heritage. That year, it sponsored its first cultural edition: the book Homenagem à Bahia Antiga (“Tribute to Old Bahia”), by historian José Valladares.

Starting in 1978, this contribution became something systematic at the Organization. And Odebrecht began to contribute toward the cultural area, considered crucial for the education and identity formation of social groups.

The cultural projects supported by the Organization generally result in books. However, through the Braskem Culture and Arts Award, the company also produces CDs, modern art exhibits and short films.

The publications launched with this support are distributed to nationally and internationally-based public and private entities, such as libraries, universities and research centers.

This sponsorship represents an effort by Odebrecht to encourage historical research and editorial production in Brazil and other countries. In this way, Odebrecht hopes to help improve knowledge and understanding of the communities’ economic history and sociopolitical evolution.